Do you love taking sugar? Check 9 simple tips that can help you quit the sugar habit

If you should conduct a survey
maybe just in your locality, you will discover there are lots of people that
just can't do without sugar or sugary foods. Regular consumption of sugar have
become a habit of theirs. Or maybe on the other hand, you actually a victim of
this addiction, and you think it is time you call it quit. Then i guess today
is your lucky day! Sooner or later, you will discover in this post the answers
you need to quit that addiction.

Hold on! before you continue
reading, i know some questions might be rumbling in your brain, like; how can i
tell if i am actually addicted to sugar? how can i determine if i should cut
back on sugar intake?

Now here is my answer. Sugar
addiction can be a relative term from one person to the other, but below are
some of the things you should look out for, to determine if you are actually
dancing to the tune of the sugar habit.

How to
determine if you are addicted to sugar

If you are still questioning your
stand, if you are having a sugar habit or not. Then check out these 3 points
below:

You always crave for sugars i.e.
you cannot do without sugary foods in a few periods

Losing control and eating more sugar
than you planned.

Constantly trying to self-justify
when you eat something sweet.

When it comes to sugar, you can
never be too careful. So whether you have a serious problem with sugar, or you
just feel that you could maybe quit the sugar habit, here are 9 simple tips to
help you reduce your sugar intake.

9 tips to
reduce your sugar habit

1. Take Baby
Steps, cut it back little by little

It is a lot easier to quit your
sugar habit if you do it a little bit at a time instead of trying to quit the
whole stuff at once. If you try to deprive your body from sugars in just one
stretch, you might end up craving for sugar more than ever before. Take a baby
step, try to cut your intake of sugar in small amount for each week, until you
get to a point where you are already used to consuming little or no sugar at
all. At this point, you should also ensure to drink large amount of water and
eating more fruits and vegetables.

2. Don't
have the mindset that it is only sweet foods that contains sugar

If you have concluded in your
mind that this article of mine is not referring to you in anyway just because
you do not consume much of sweet foods, then i guess you should have a second
thought. Just because something does not actually taste sweet, does not mean
that it is sugar-free. For instance let us take a look at foods like potato
chips, our popular "garri" in Nigeria, yams etc. These foods does not
have a sweet taste, but they are actually jam-packed with carbohydrates which
are in essence, complex sugars. Some other sets of foods to watch out for are;
rice, white flour, potatoes, white bread, crackers etc.

Just because your taste buds have
gotten accustomed to a certain amount of sugar, does not guarantee you should
be consuming much amount of it. By gradually reducing the quantity of sugar you
consume, you can eventually tame your taste buds to get accustomed to
less-sweet foods compared to sweet foods.

4. Go for
Healthier Sweets

Again, you should note this. Just
because you are trying to quit your sugar habit does not mean you can't take or
eat something sweet. If you check your market and grocery stores you can easily
find healthier alternatives like fresh berries, dried fruit, frozen fruit, or
most especially yoghurt, just to mention a few.

5. Switch to
protein for assistance

Since protein does not actually
cause a drastic increase and drop in your blood sugar levels, then it is wise
to go for foods that contains protein. They can actually assist your body from
having cravings for sugar-containing foods. Good sources of protein are; beans,
eggs, nuts and seeds, lean meat, low-fat-yoghurt, etc.

6. Fill up
on fiber

For many years, fiber have been
of great assistance in preventing sugar cravings. This is because they can actually
make you feel full for a long period which at the end cuts down the crave for
food consumption. Fiber-containing foods are actually energy givers, and they
do not raise the blood sugar levels that much. To get more of fiber, try to
include foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet.

Exercise is always a great way to
help when it comes to weight loss or bettering your health. It helps you feel
better, more energized, and it promotes the body’s cravings for healthy food. It
is recommended that you get at least 30 minutes of exercise, at 5 times per
week.

Studies have suggested that
sugar-free artificial sweeteners can actually do more harm than good. It
generally does not help you break your cravings for sweets, and you might
actually end up wanting the real deal.

9. Don’t
overdo it on the healthy sugars either

Things like honey, brown sugar,
and cane juice may be deemed healthier than normal sugar, but sugar is sugar.
They do not necessarily cause less of a spike in your blood sugar levels, but
they tend to contain more nutrients so their calories are more easily justified
than thee empty calories from refined sugar.

How Much
Sugar Is Too Much?

The daily recommended sugar limit
is:

6 teaspoons for women (About 100
calories.)

9 teaspoons for men (About 150
calories.)

NOTE: Sugar by any
other name

You don’t always see the word
“sugar” on a food label. It sometimes goes by another name, such as the ones
listed below:

Agave nectar

Brown rice syrup

High-fructose corn syrup

Dextrose

Evaporated cane juice

Glucose

Lactose

Malt syrup

Molasses

Sucrose

For a full list of 41 names of sugar< check the infographic below.

Watch out for items that list any
form of sugar in the first few ingredients, or have more than 4 total grams of
sugar.

Finally, following these 9 tips
will assist you in cutting down on your sugar habit. I will be dishing out a
free ebook with more elaborate article on this topic and more important topics,
you can only benefit from this offer by subscribing to my email list. Use the
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Do you love taking sugar? Check 9 simple tips that can help you quit the sugar habit
Reviewed by Chibuzor Aguwa
on
9/19/2016 05:45:00 pm
Rating: 5